I got here...at last :-)

Discussion in 'Introduce Yourselves' started by Sentry1, Jul 22, 2015.

  1. Hi TLB people!

    I'm really pleased to be a part of this forum. This is why I'm here:
    • I spent age -9 months to 10 years old growing up in my folks white Danbury tintop.
    • From playing in that van outside the front of our house with my brother and sister, to going down to the campsites in Devon and watching the lighthouses through the windows, I formed a bond with VWs that I knew wasn't over when they eventually sold the van and got an estate :-(
    • I've never owned a VW camper of any description but all my friends and family are very well aware of my enthusiasm. To the point that my little nephews still call them "Uncle Peter Buses"
    • I now have a young family (Girl 3.5 yrs and baby boy 3.5 months) and I have managed to get to a point where my wife is not exactly keen but.....whats the right word?.....amenable to the idea of getting an addition to the family in bay window form
    • For the past two decades I have been scouring the newspapers and the internet just as a hobby, and now I have been able to start the search for real. I'm only a month in and already I have avoided buying a 1971 turkey by ensuring I asked a local VW Camper resto garage to pay a visit for me as I couldn't be there in person. I've also had huge disappointment having driven the family miles and miles and found EXACTLY the right van at a good price only to lose it to someone else by 15 minutes.
    • We live in Sevenoaks and would use the van for family holidays all across the UK and shorter trips out to explore Kent and Sussex
    • I'm not looking for a resto project but I'm not expecting a concourse van requiring no TLC either
    So, what am I looking for? No shock to hear that I value structural integrity over mechanics but what else would be nice to have? (I know that compromise is v necessary here!!)....

    - T2 - late or early
    - RHD or LHD
    - Auto or Manual
    - Westfalia with rear hinge pop - I like the Berlin/Berlin Deluxe conversion
    *****UPDATE - Having nearly bought one I now would also LOVE a VW Super Viking Spacemaker. They seem to be awesome interiors. If you have one and want to sell, please let me know as I want to buy!******
    - Captains seat
    - 2 ltr
    - towbar (interested to hear experiences of towing using their van)
    - Colour - anything but the pea greens which appear to be the majority!
    - Not lowered
    - Headrests
    - Stove and fridge (can I convert a westy Berlin without one to with?)
    - 3 point belts (can I get two on the RnR bench seat? I need to do this for two kids child seats)

    So. If anyone stumbles across anything that matches even 40% of the above I would love to hear about it.

    I'd be really grateful also to hear where you think are the best places to search to find the gems other than the big, bad auction site. Also I'd like to know where best to source original interiors.

    I'l stop there. I'm looking forward to taking an active part in this forum and maybe getting out to some of the events where possible (once I have something to drive there in).

    All the best,
    Pete
     
    Last edited: Sep 7, 2015
    Poptop2, SeanOC, Skid66 and 5 others like this.
  2. CollyP

    CollyP Moderator

    Howdy! and good luck :)
     
    Sentry1 likes this.
  3. MorkC68

    MorkC68 Administrator

    welcome to the forum & good luck!
     
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  4. May be an idea to give budget
     
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  5. Hi from West Lancashire -Good luck in your search - took us 2years
     
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  6. Flakey

    Flakey Supporter

    Good evening from Cheshire, I presume you've checked out the classifieds on here?
    Seems a big variety for sale at the moment!
     
    Sentry1 likes this.
  7. Hi Pete

    Good luck with the search, we went for a sunny climate import to rule out any dodgy welding repairs ect from years before, as if the shell is good everything else is fairly easily fixed even if it costs a few quid! Downside of course is it will almost certainly be LHD - not an issue for us but not for everyone. 1.7 t4 motor in ours goes much better than expected quite happy at 65 on the motorway & not as bad on fuel as I was expecting. Hope you find one soon :)
     
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  8. Terrordales

    Terrordales Nightshift

    Hello & Welcome from The Colonial Contingent :hattip:
     
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  9. bonjour Pete ,happy hunting..:hattip:
     
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  10. Welcome. Plenty up for grabs atm. If I was in the market to buy now I would import a sunny climate bus with no interior or engine and make it my own. But thats only cos I have a very original Westy now and want to make changes but fear devaluing it in doing so!
     
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  11. scrooge95

    scrooge95 Moderator and piggy bank keeper

    Hello from the depths of the New Forest. I only got mine back in the spring, but it was definitely a good decision. I ended up with the 4th one I looked at.... it definitely wasn't a waste of time looking at the first few even if they turned out to be unsuitable, all experience gained and a real learning curve. .......and still is ;)
     
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  12. Welcome aboard:thumbsup:
    A 2 litre LHD, rear hinged Berlin in 0range for the win as a family camper:D
     
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  13. bernjb56

    bernjb56 Supporter

    Welcome along and good luck.
     
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  14. Welcome good luck with your hunting
    from sunny somerset
     
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  15. I bought mine as a fully kitted Westy thinking that was the way to go (Front hinge) it had everything that was on my list and it was all original (other than bodywork) it was a front hinged Continental. Quite quickly I got sick of the lack of head-height when the kids were in the bed so swapped the roof, I got sick of trying to play twister when the weather was inclement as there's next to no floor space, particularly with the bed out so I swapped the interior, I decided I wanted more room to lounge with growing kids and more room for them so the bulkheads went, swivels went in and I fitted a larger Viking roof. Current state of play is .... Full width bed downstairs. Double and a single upstairs. Swivels on both front seats and no other interior furniture (small weekend unit going in soon). All in all I've ruined a pretty good example of a westy!! But then again all that happened over a 20 year period and I've no intention of flogging.
    it!

    If I were starting again I think I would probably go for a rear hinged westy with swivels and a bespoke interior.
     
    Mark&Laura, zed, theBusmonkey and 2 others like this.
  16. Welcome to the mad house, are you on Facebook? If so there are a few groups which I see quite a few vans popping up for sale so worth a look.
     
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  17. Hello from Chester yes you can put seat belts in the back ( 3 point ) you may have to make a comprimise and buy a bus that needs some of the things you want
     
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  18. Welcome along. I'm from Tonbridge originally (now oop norff). Good luck with your search.
     
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  19. vinnyboy

    vinnyboy Supporter

    Hi Pete. You are in the same position I was in almost ten years ago. Getting a good solid ready to use van is my advice. With two young kids time will evaporate faster than a bay window battery tray. Get one ASAP and use it as often as possible. My kids are now 14&17 so in the near future it'll be me and the missus camping. As a family we've got many happy memories. I think I have my perfect bus. 1978 Westy Berlin. 2.0ltr. From arizona. Never welded. Still solid.
     
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  20. davidoft

    davidoft Sponsor

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